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Lou Smith
Lou Smith is the biological father of Will Smith and ex-husband of Vy Smith. History When Will was five, Lou abandoned both him and Vy, feeling he was trapped and did not want to accept any responsibility. He used his job as a teamster to disappear, driving off after finishing a delivery. One day in Bel-Air, Lou returns after a 14 year absence where he bonds with Will. However, Vivian and Phil are not as thrilled to see Lou. Vivian is annoyed by Lou's abandonment of her sister, but most of the anger comes from Phil, who would like to have him thrown out of the Banks residence, but keeps his rage in check for the sake of peace with Will. Phil does not stop Will from spending time with his own father, but warns Will to be on guard, because the reunion may just be for himself. Will and Lou have a great time shooting hoops and playing games at a video arcade, and Will announces his plan to do a father-son event over the summer by trucking cross-country with his dad. However, Lou deplorably plans to go to Maine with another trucker (and abandon Will again). He then asks Phillip and Vivian to break the news to Will, infuriating both of them. Vivian (his former sister-in-law) angrily tells him, "If you walk out of Will's life now, don't you ever come back." Lou and Phil then get into an argument about Lou having responsibilities to Will as he was his son and that Lou should be there for him; Lou refuses to listen and states he doesn't want to do it because he never wanted to be a father to begin with. Lou then questions Philip again about if he'll tell Will about the change of plans in their trip or not. Phillip refuses, telling him upright that he won't do his dirty work for him. As Lou begins to leave (deciding to call Will and tell him while he's on the road), Will shows up ready to go. He tells Will that things have changed and he can't come with him. Uncle Phil calls Lou's bluff by buying Will a plane ticket from Bel Air to Bangor, Maine in order for Will to meet Lou after the delivery is done, but Lou sheepishly says he does not know what will come of it, causing Will to realize the truth. Lou tells Will that he'll call him next week about the details and tells him he had a great time with him, but Will (hurt and betrayed by his father again) refers to him as "Lou" instead of "Dad", rejecting him as his father and as a part of his family. Speechless and possibly hurt by his son's words, Lou leaves, never to be heard or seen of again. Will then asks "How come he does not want me?" and bursts into tears, and is comforted by Phil, who despite his different attitude and penchant for being made fun of, is the closest thing to a paternal figure Will ever had. Will intended to give a gift to Lou which never was awarded, ironically a statuette showing a carving of a man having his arms on the shoulder of a child, symbolic of a father always being on hand for his children. Trivia *His first and only appearance is in "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse". *According to Lou, he hasn't seen his nephew Carlton since he was 3 years old, which was about two years before he abandoned Vy and Will in Philadelphia. * According to Will, when he was 5 years old, he'd constantly stay up every night asking his mother Vy when Lou would return home, unaware that he Lou had abandoned them (and would continue to be unaware of it for a couple of years). *It is very likely Lou never encountered Will or the Banks family again after his first and only appearance in the series, but If he did encounter them again, it's highly possible that they angrily rejected him because of his previous actions. *In his first and only appearance, it's shown Lou had truly little (if any) care for his family as he was willing to abandon his son twice just for money, even when he was warned never to come back (to the Banks' mansion) if he did. *Although "Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse" was his first and only onscreen appearance. He was mentioned once before in "Home Is Where the Heart Attack Is." When Will trying to talk sense into Carlton who's in selfish denial mentions that everybody's father goes through health problems except his because "I don't know where the hell he is!!!" In "Get a Job", Carlton get into an argument with Will about Will's work habits and compares him to his father. Angered by the comment, Will, calmly yet sternly tells Carlton, "I am ''nothing ''like my father!" Category:Characters Category:Fathers Category:Male Characters